Tuesday 15th December 1914

Pte. William Baxter (see below) was reported as having been “drunk in Lynchford Road about 1.40pm”; on the orders of Col. George Rainier Crawford C.B. (see 8^th December) he would be confined to barracks for seven days.

William Baxter was a 40 year-old foundry labourer from Bradford; he had previously served with the territorials and had enlisted in Bradford on 10^th September.

Two of Tunstill's original recruits, Ted Askew and Harry Metcalfe, who had been transferred to the Army Service Corps (see 7th October), because of their experience in civilian life, arrived in France on  active service.

Both Askew and Metcalfe served out the rest of the war as drivers in the ASC. Little has been established about Ted Askew, other than the fact that he was home on leave in November 1918, for the first time in almost three years. After the war he married Jane Lofthouse. Harry Metcalfe's story is also shrouded in some doubt due to a lack of documentary evidence, but evidence from the family does allow something to be said about his career and also his life after leaving the Army. I am indebted to Harry's grandson,  Alan Metcalfe, for the following information.

Harry Metcalfe (and almost certainly Ted Askew also) arrived in France on 15^th December 1914 to rendezvous with the 2^nd Indian Cavalry Division, which had left Bombay on 19^th November 1914 and arrived in France on 14^th December.  It has not been possible to verify Harry’s personal war service record but something can be said of the Division as a whole. At times during the war the division served in the trenches as infantry, each Cavalry Brigade once dismounted formed a dismounted regiment. The 2nd Indian Cavalry Division (which was renamed 5^th Cavalry Division from 26^th November 1916) served in France and Flanders until March 1918 when the Division was broken up and reformed in Egypt as the 2nd Mounted Division. 

What part Harry played personally and where exactly he served cannot be established, though some family anecdotes suggest that he may, at some point, have seen service in connection with the Canadian forces on the Western Front. What is clear is that Harry served throughout the war. He was home on leave when he was married on 23^rd January 1917 to Annie Ethel Wooler at St Mary’s Church, Long Preston. Harry returned to service and was not finally discharged to the Class Z Army Reserve until 21^st April 1919. 

Harry and Ethel Metcalfe (note the service chevrons on Harry;s right sleeve)

After the war Harry and Ethel set up home on Church Street in Long Preston and Harry worked as a goods porter on the local railways, most likely at Hellifield, until at least 1924. He later worked as head horseman for Mr. Robert Preston, who was a major local landowner in Long Preston, and also as gamekeeper. Harry and Ethel’s first son, Jim (James Henry) Metcalfe was born on 14^th April 1920. Two other sons followed: William Edward in 1922 and John Wooler in 1924. 

Annie died on 12^th April 1946 at the family home in Long Preston and Harry died on 17^th December 1956, aged 67, at Raikeswood Hospital in Skipton; they are buried together (along with their son Jim and his wife, Joan) in the churchyard at Long Preston.